Robins announces new round of buyouts

WARNER ROBINS -- Robins Air Force Base announced a new round of voluntary early retirement and separation incentives Friday.

The base began accepting applications Friday and planned to approve fewer than 100 employees, according to a release. Base spokesman David Donato said he did not have a more specific number.

If approved, the workers would get up to $25,000 and must leave by Sept. 30.

Applications will be accepted from 15 specialities, including human resource personnel, budget analysts and materiel handlers. Applicants must be in positions funded by Operations and Maintenance. Those paid from the Working Capital Fund, which includes the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, would not be eligible.

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The latest round of buyouts is related to a Department of Defense mandate to cut 258 positions at Air Force Reserve Command headquarters at Robins. However, it also includes other areas at the base that are part of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

The Department of Defense is requiring all commands to reduce staff by 20 percent. Some of the cuts at Air Force Reserve Command are expected to come from eliminating vacant positions.

Col. Rob Palmer, an AFRC spokesman, said it still hasn’t been determined exactly how many people will have to be cut. The early retirement buyouts, however, will help move toward the goal of not having to do involuntary separations.

He said the command has identified about 30 to 40 positions to be cut in this round of buyouts, but it may not necessarily be that many. That’s because the selection of the applicants is based on factors such as seniority, so people in other areas of the base could get chosen over the AFRC applicants.

Another round of buyouts may be done later to meet the mandate for cuts, Palmer said.